Jephthah made a vow before God: “If you give me a clear victory over the Ammonites, then I’ll give to God whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in one piece from among the Ammonites—I’ll offer it up in a sacrificial burnt offering.” Judges 11:29-31 ESV)
Promises to Keep
Jephthah, one of the Judges of Israel, should have known better. First, he made a bad vow. I really bad vow. God had already promised the Israelites under Jephthah that the Ammonites would lose. Why did Jephthah make this foolish promise to God? It was unnecessary.
And even worse, it was a promise to God that Jephthah would do something terribly unrighteous. As it happened the person who came out of Jephthah’s door after Israel’s victory was Jephthah’s beloved daughter. But no matter who it was… God does not ask for, condone, or accept such human sacrifices. Israel’s neighbors did such things. But not God’s people.
And then, Jephthah actually KEPT that vow. He murdered his daughter to keep his own wrongly-motivated vow. Adding evil upon evil.
He should have known better.
But Jesus is the perfect leader.
He makes GOOD promises. Helpful promises. Gracious promises. Loving promises.
And then, He keeps them, because they are always just the right promises to keep.
We need a good leader, and that is Jesus. We need a properly reliable leader, and that, too, is Jesus.